The rule, and why it matters
Title case capitalises the significant words in a title and leaves the connecting ones alone. The exception carries the whole rule: the first and last word are always capitalised, however short. That is why "To Kill a Mockingbird" capitalises "To" but lowercases "a".
Examples
| Input | Title case |
|---|---|
| the lord of the rings | The Lord of the Rings |
| a tale of two cities | A Tale of Two Cities |
| to kill a mockingbird | To Kill a Mockingbird |
| what to look for in winter | What to Look for in Winter |
| the well-known problem with ai | The Well-Known Problem With Ai |
One limit worth knowing: a converter cannot tell a proper noun from an ordinary word, so an acronym like AI comes back as "Ai". Check names and initialisms by eye afterwards.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this title case converter free?
Yes, with no account and no length limit.
Which words stay lowercase in title case?
Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor), and short prepositions (at, by, in, of, on, to, per, via, from, with, into, onto, over, upon) — unless they are the first or last word of the title, where they are always capitalised.
Does it follow AP or Chicago style?
Both agree on articles and conjunctions and differ mainly on longer prepositions: Chicago keeps all prepositions lowercase regardless of length, while AP capitalises those of four letters or more. This tool keeps the common short list lowercase, which matches Chicago and covers most of what AP would also lowercase.
What happens to hyphenated words?
Both halves are capitalised, so "well-known" becomes "Well-Known". That is the standard treatment in both styles.
Why not just capitalise every word?
Because that is not title case, it is start case. "The Rise Of The Machines" reads as a mistake to any editor; "The Rise of the Machines" is correct. The distinction is precisely what this tool exists for.